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In immigration news: Eric Cantor's defeat, the child migrant dilemma, Border Patrol use of force, more

The surprise election defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor by a Tea Party candidate is being interpreted by some observers as the end of immigration reform hopes for the near future. The Virginia Republican had supported piecemeal immigration legislation. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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Eric Cantor loss kills immigration reform - Politico The surprise defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Virginia primary election by a Tea Party candidate could mean "that the already uphill battle for immigration reform was dealt the knockout blow," some political observers are saying. The Republican lawmaker's rival, David Brat, and Tea Party activists had criticized his support for piecemeal immigration reform legislation as “amnesty.”

White House still hopeful on immigration post-Cantor - USA Today Some White House officials aren't necessarily pinning Eric Cantor's defeat on his support of immigration reform. Senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer tweeted that "Cantor's problem wasn't his position on immigration reform, it was his lack of a position," and "stressed that a Republican who expressed support for a comprehensive immigration bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, won his primary easily against six Tea Party-type challengers."

Border Children Create New Wrinkle in Immigration Reform Debate - NBC News The continuing arrival of unaccompanied minors at the border, most from Central America, is further complicating the immigration debate as some GOP critics place blame on Obama administration policies. From the story: "...many are speculating it’s because word has gotten back to the countries they are fleeing that they are treated well when they arrive and are released to their parents while awaiting deportation hearings." Those who work with immigrants say the kids are mostly fleeing violence back home.

Report: Where unaccompanied minors are coming from, illustrated - Southern California Public Radio A new Pew Research report illustrates in graphic form where the growing number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border are coming from. Three out of four are from Central America, the top sending country being Honduras, followed by Guatemala and El Salvador. Honduras has the highest per capita murder rate in the world. Since 2009, the number of Honduran kids under 18 apprehended at the border has gone up more than 1,200 percent.

After Shootings, Extended Silence: What The Border Patrol Hasn't Said - NPR While federal officials say the U.S. Border Patrol is becoming more transparent, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the agency's use of force, which has led to a series of deaths on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years. A look at "four notable killings that have raised unanswered questions between 2010 and 2014."

Hillary Clinton blasts opponents of immigration reform - The Hill During a speech in Chicago on Tuesday, the former Secretary of State and possible 2016 presidential hopeful expressed frustration with lawmakers who have blocked immigration reform, blasting "people who 'are scared because there is a small minority of people in public life and those they represent who don't seem to understand one of our strongest and most important attributes is that we are still a nation of immigrants.' "

Previously in Multi-American

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